Leaders agree to shield teachers from bad evaluations under Common Core for 2 years

A deal that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders have agreed to would shield teachers from being rated “ineffective” in job evaluations as a result of the new, higher academic standards of the Common Core this school year and next, according to two officials familiar with the deal. The governor is shown here at an appearance in Tarrytown, New York on May 14, 2014. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Andrew Burton

A deal that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders have agreed to would shield teachers from being rated “ineffective” in job evaluations as a result of the new, higher academic standards of the Common Core this school year and next, according to two officials familiar with the deal. The governor is shown here at an appearance in Tarrytown, New York on May 14, 2014. (Credit: Getty Images / Andrew Burton)

ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew. M. Cuomo and legislative leaders have agreed to shield teachers from being rated “ineffective” in job evaluations as a result of the new, higher academic standards of the Common Core this school year and next, according to two officials familiar with the deal.

Teachers and principals in grades 3-8 won’t be rated “ineffective” or “developing” solely because of poor performance...

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ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew. M. Cuomo and legislative leaders have agreed to shield teachers from being rated “ineffective” in job evaluations as a result of the new, higher academic standards of the Common Core this school year and next, according to two officials familiar with the deal.

Teachers and principals in grades 3-8 won’t be rated “ineffective” or “developing” solely because of poor performance by their students in math and English tests based on the tougher, national standards.

Teachers rated ineffective or developing because of Common Core tests would be evaluated again without those tests. If the teacher is still judged to be ineffective or developing, the teacher would be sanctioned.

Parents would be able to see both ratings, under the agreement. State officials expect fewer than 1,000 teachers would be affected by the deal expected to voted into law Thursday.

Student performance on tests using the Common Core have accounted for about 20 percent of a teacher’s job evaluation. In addition, some school districts have used the tests tied to the Common Core even more to fulfill the need for local assessments.

The agreement, however, isn’t retroactive, said the state official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t yet been announced. Teacher evaluations done last year, which include student performance on Common Core tests, will stand. Only 1 percent of those teachers were judged unsatisfactory last year, according to the state Education Department.

The legislature has already postponed the impact on students who received uncharacteristically poor grades on tests based on the new national standards.